MobileUnpacked2012
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Samsung confirms next Galaxy Note will debut at Mobile Unpacked event this month
Not that there was much doubt, but Reuters reports an unnamed Samsung spokesperson has revealed that yes, the next Galaxy Note will be unveiled at its Mobile Unpacked event in Berlin on August 29th, a year after the original. Other than the existing speculation about a bigger screen, and the faster processor possibly revealed by benchmarks there's not much else to say, yet, although with IFA kicking off two days later we're sure the electronics giant will have more than one trick up its sleeve. So, any ideas on what the next generation phablet needs (NFC and a headset?) to keep its king-sized place atop the competition?
Save the date: Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 IFA event set for August 29th
You know it's nearly time for IFA 2012 when Samsung starts sending out the Mobile Unpacked invites. The event, famous for launching the phablet-defining Galaxy Note just one year ago, is scheduled to take place on August 29th and should see the official unveiling of that smartphone inbetweener's successor. Though leaked details of a Note sequel have been scarce, we do have one slight indicator of what's to come: benchmarks for a mysterious GT-N7100. If those test results are to be believed, we could be in store for a device refresh that packs the same processing powers of the Galaxy S III -- quad-core Exynos bumped to 1.6GHz and Mali 400 GPU -- along with the OEM's bevy of Smart functions and, most notably, a stylus upgrade. Of course, the company could very well have other surprises up its sleeve, but given its penchant for extensive security measures, we'll just have to wait to find out.
Samsung's Mobile Unpacked 2012 event now available to watch online (video)
Missed out on our liveblog coverage? Well, we'll deal with that later, as the whole event is now online for you to gaze at. You might want to grab a snack and coffee to tide you over though, as it runs for just under 80 minutes. Once you're ready, skip over the break to watch Samsung reveal its self-titled smartphone champion.
Samsung announces SmartStay and S Voice features for the Galaxy S III
In addition to announcing its newest flagship, the Galaxy S III, along with some nifty photo-sharing features, Samsung has just revealed two more human-friendly features that aim to further differentiate the phone on the software side. These include SmartStay, which cleverly keeps the display from timing out by using the front-facing camera to detect when you're looking at the screen. Meanwhile, S Voice ushers in voice commands, and is the closest thing we've seen to a Siri competitor since Apple introduced that feature on the iPhone 4S. And we have to say, though Android users have long been reveling in voice-activated dialing and Google searches, the list of possible use cases here is quite impressive. In addition to initiating calls, you can wake the phone, request songs, send emails and text messages, use the calendar app, adjust the volume, capture photos, snooze the alarm and inquire about the weather. For now, Samsung says this feature will support eight languages, including, among others, Spanish, German, Korean and American / British English. Still, we wouldn't put it past Samsung to teach the GS III a few more languages once it gets that whole "launching in 145 countries" thing out of the way.
